I spent the better part of my life making a living on the phone.

[Paper Roses]

I have respect for those whose job it is to "blather" away with goods , services, whatever via the phone. I was good at it and earned a living. I was not a telemarketer, I was an Inside Salesman. Big difference.

I have never been rude or nasty to anyone who calls. I know they have a job to do and they are trying. I will complement anyone who is really good at it. I don't buy but that is not my point.

Today, for the first time, I was curt to someone who called. She introduced herself, who she represented, then asked if I could give her a minute of my time.

Went like this:

Hi, is this Mrs.XXX?
yes, this is she.
This is XXX with the DNC,I wonder if you have a minute to speak with me?

I immediately said:

I'm sorry, I am so disgusted with politics that I will no longer talk to anyone on the phone about it. Thank you for your call but do not call again.

You know what? I feel badly. Not about the politics part but about the feelings of the young girl who called. She was probably just trying to earn a living.

I am no longer interested.

[Vinca]

Don't feel bad. The caller is still getting paid.

All things considered, I bet half their calls are like that.

[Warpy]

1. I always say "no thank you."

There have been occasional pests who have called back.

I fuck with their heads.

Call me a bad person if you wish, but they're calling me repeatedly at their leisure, not mine.

[Cleita]

2. She probably wasn't even earning a living and was a volunteer.

You can still vent your disgust but be polite to the messenger. I usually tell them that I can no longer support a party that doesn't support candidates who work for the common people. I tell them there is no point in wasting their time calling me because my wallet is zipped shut until further notice. I try to be pleasant while saying so.

[redwitch]

3. I think you performed a public service.

They need to hear that from we the weary. I plan on doing the same. And I will also tell anyone who calls that my family is now hanging by a thread because our elected officials have abandoned us. I couldn't contribute to anyone's campaign even if I wanted to.

[msedano]

4. you spoke civilly

nothing wrong with that. if a telephone sales person doesn't have thick skin she should not be in that business. i used to train telephone sales people. among the earliest lessons, one oft-repeated: people are saying no to your offer, not to you. the next lesson, even more frequently repeated: hang up and make the next call. (I suspect a big organization like the DNC has computers feeding a constant stream of calls to that woman's headset. a hellish environment for a worker).

mvs

[kirby]

5. There is a place in hell for telemarketers...

I despise them. What gives someone the 'right' to intrude into my privacy and quiet time to try to convince me to buy something that I am not interested in. Cold calls are just as bad.

[bigwillq]

9. Do you have caller ID?

:shrug: Then you can see who is calling and choose to answer it or not. That's what I do.

[kirby]

10. The phone still rings...

Me having to pay extra for Caller Id, and having most telemarketers fake their Caller ID as 'Out of area' is not the solution. Most telemarketers, if you do not answer, will add you back to their queue and call over and over again at various hours.

Even if I ignore the ring, it still interrupts my piece of mind and quiet. The only people I want calling me are my friends and family. When my phone rings, it should be something important.

But to answer your question, yes I do have Caller Id and I am on all the Do Not Call lists. I tell every caller to add me to their do not call lists also. I refuse to give out my phone number to most businesses. I do not get many calls.

[bigwillq]

11. That's what phones do

RING! :P

Maybe phones are not for you. :)

[kirby]

12. Well...

I consider (home) phones as a tool for private communications between two known parties. Even though businesses fell it is yet another method of marketing does not make my expectation any less valid.

[pipi_k]

6. Sounds like you were perfectly civil to her

And you were probably one of the few civil people in her day, to tell the truth.

[Gman2]

7. Apathy, through disgust, is a tried and true GOP tactic. Then, they pounce.

[Berry Cool]

8. Just remember, anyone who calls you is the equivalent of someone knocking on the door of your house.

You have no moral obligation to let them in. In fact, you have no moral obligation to even go to the door and tell them "Sorry, I don't want to talk to you or let you in. Goodbye." You can just not answer your door.

Your phone is your private place, just like your house.

[csziggy]

13. The Democratic Governor's Campaign Committee called today

The same as I have done witb the Democratic Congressional Campaign COmmittee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee since 2006, I am pleasant but adamant that I will no longer donate to any of those committees or to the DNC or DLC. I am happy to explain to the caller that those organizations do not support the candidates I would like to have elected - in my area, they support Blue Dogs such as Allen Boyd or DINOs such as Bill Nelson.

If I had money to donate, I would give it to individual candidates, but since I have no money (it all went for copays for health care and increased prescription drug costs) if I can I will volunteer for my selected candidates.

If I ever have money to donate for politics again, it will go to the individuals - and I will continue to explain this to whoever calls from the above named groups.

The guy today said he is a professional fund raiser and that the DGCC does support "progressive" candidates. I laughed at him.